Information reaching 247ureports.com from competent sources within the presidency indicate that all might not be well with the presidency and the three ministers investigated by the Nigeria Secret Police [DSS].
According to the information received, the presidency had commissioned the DSS to investigate several petitions written against three serving ministers concerning financial crimes and other related corrupt offences. The DSS was reported to have conducted the broad reaching investigation and had submitted their findings to the President directly to his desk.
Our source reveals that the content of the report indicted three Ministers of massive corrupt practices that included cornering illegal contracts to their personal firms, receiving bribes and bloating of contracts. Top on the list of the indicted Ministers is the Transportation Minister, Chibuike Rotimi Amaechi.
Our source notes that the results of the DSS report which was submitted to the president for over a week, is expected to have yielded a response from the President over possible disciplinary actions. But the President is said to have sat on the report without commenting on his take on the report. It is believed that his relationship with the Transport Minister may be the reason behind the President’s silence.
“During the presidential campaign, Amaechi slept in the same room with Buhari. He slept on the floor next to Buhari’s dog while Buhari slept on the bed. Amaechi was the closet human being to Buhari during the campaign. And Buhari knew understands loyalty.” – said the source in explaining why the President may never act on the findings of the DSS. Amaechi had been given a long rope by the President to “do what ever he likes“.
The source points to the recent appointment of the top boss [Hadiza Usman] at the National Ports Authority [NPA] which was done by Amaechi – as hair raising and surprising to the President. The person appointed to the top seat is claimed to be unqualified for the position by many within the presidency. “She got to the seat because she was a one-time girl friend to the present Kaduna State Governor – and the present girlfriend to Amaechi“.
Hadiza Usman’s arrival to the NPA, according to petition submitted to the DSS, opened the opportunities to corruption and undue influence of Amaechi and his friends at the NPA. Contracts and concessions were given out without the required due process and protocols. The normal bidding processes were not followed in awarding contracts. According to our source, the DSS investigation confirmed the wide ranging corruption at the NPA.
Amaechi has had his run-in with the Chief of Staff to the President over access to the President. The run-ins with the Chief of Staff had resulted in the used of the DSS to walk Amaechi out of the office of the chief of staff. The chief of staff had offended Amaechi by intercepting a memorandum from the President addressed to Amaechi concerning an approval for a huge project to be carried out under the Ministry of Transportation. The chief of staff after having intercepted the memorandum, decided to query the memorandum and to place conditions and stipulations to the project approval – that would inevitably make the project not executable. Amaechi was not happy. He barged into the chief of staff’s office in a rage threatening to put physical harm on the chief of staff should he continue to interfere in his ‘business’.
A report of the incident was made to the President. But the president has failed to respond still date.
